Wahoo! Decatur Grill

One of the gifts that comes with moving away from home is the ability to really value the limited time you get to spend with your family. My parents always tell me that as a kid, it was a rare day that I could be found hanging out at home. And I don't need to be reminded that during my more, let's just say 'argumentative' teenage years, I didn't exactly ooze appreciation for everything they did (and do) for me. But now, I find myself wishing that I had more time to visit home and spend time with my parents and brother.

So it's perfect timing that my mom came to visit this weekend for my sorority's Mother Daughter Weekend. Whenever my mom and I get together, our first order of business is to find someplace new and exciting for dinner and drinks. It's a win-win situation: I get to eat at great restaurants for free and Mom gets to take a break from the meat and potatoes routine that my dad and brother insist on at home.

Tonight, we headed to Wahoo! Decatur Grill for an eclectic seafood dinner and we couldn't have been happier - a glass of wine, artsy decor and warm atmosphere made the perfect combination for a couple hours' worth of a much-needed catching up and girl talk. And I have to mention the dishes we ordered-I ordered the trout and mom got the Wahoo (it's a type of swordfish, who knew?), both of which were incredible. No wonder this place has won Best Seafood in Atlanta multiple times.

I'm looking forward to spending the rest of the weekend with mom--more delicious food and gossip! Some things never change...like the fact that she still can't keep her eyes open in a picture (see below).

Dekalb Farmer's Market

After a two-week long hiatus in Ireland and what seems like twice as long in thesis-induced self exile, I decided it was about time that I got out in Atlanta and did something fun. Low on food and low on cash, I thought I'd knock out a few things on my to do list and visit the Dekalb Farmer's Market. I'd imagined this place to be a glorified fruit stand in the middle of a field, so you can imagine my surprise when I pulled up to a sprawling warehouse with a crowd worthy of a Hanson concert circa 1999. Replace pre-adolescent girls with plucky housewives and you'll get a sense of the exciting buzz of the place.

Naturally, the first thing I noticed when I arrived was a table of fresh bread samples and dips. If the entire farmer's market had consisted of just this table, I would have been satisfied. When I eventually dragged myself away from the table, I picked up a loaf of challah about the length of my arm and made my way over to the overwhelming produce section. Honestly, I didn't recognize half the fruits and veggies there but in the spirit of trying new things, I bagged a few funny looking fruits to add to my overflowing basket of grapefruits, oranges, bananas, etc. In retrospect, I seriously overestimated the amount of fruit a person could possibly eat in a week but hey, at least I'm not at risk for scurvy.

For the next hour, I walked up and down each aisle and scoured every corner to see everything they had to offer. No description of the sheer amount of items or their uniqueness can do this place justice, it's definitely something you have to see for yourself. I landed at the cash register with one of the more peculiar combinations of food I've ever held and was delighted to find out that I bought an entire week's worth of food for only $30!

Goodbye Kroger!

Mac McGee's

I've been to a lot of Irish bars and also to a lot of bars that call themselves Irish. Despite having all the requisite furnishings of an Irish pub--including, but not limited to, a quirky Irish name, well-placed Guinness ads and (this is crucial) a framed photo of Michael Collins and/or Colin Farrell--some of these bars fall short of really feeling like an Irish bar.

When I walked into Decatur's newest Irish pub, Mac McGee's, I wasn't sure if it was going to be the real deal. They had the name, Guinness posters aplenty and sure enough, a framed photograph of Michael Collins hanging right by my table. But the only true test to determine the authenticity of an Irish bar? The drinks, of course!

And Mac passed with flying colors. First of all, the bar has Magners cider on tap, the drink of choice for all Irish girls and 14-16 year old Irish boys sneaking 'beer' from their parents. Note: I love this cider and haven't been able to find it on tap since leaving Ireland last August, so my squeal of delight at the waitress was completely justified.

Irishmen and beer lovers everywhere will be happy to know that Mac McGee's barman passed perhaps the most important test for an Irish bar: the two-part Guinness pour! That, combined with the list of 100 whiskeys and the cozy, friendly atmosphere made me feel like I was back on the Emerald Isle--great craic altogether!

Something I've always wanted to be in Atlanta...

View outside of my apartment

...Snowed in!

Well, not exactly - I'm more than capable of leaving my apartment, but I'm still feeling pretty risky without the requisite supply of milk and bread. Plus, the Atlanta news channels would make you think that this is the blizzard of the century. We've heard enough about your snow, Baltimore and DC, it's Atlanta's turn to close our schools and cancel all outgoing flights (like the Atlanta airport needs another reason to cancel flights).

The Winnipeg Free Press tells me that 49 out of the 50 states currently have snow on the ground, so take that as you will - either way it's turning out to be a perfect night in Atlanta to snuggle up inside and watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

Cross your fingers that work is canceled on Sunday!

Community BBQ: No More Meat!

No matter what you have to say about the South, you can't deny that it has some of the most gloriously delicious food in America. Sure, we all know that it's unhealthy--just reading a Paula Deen recipe is enough to jump start cardiac arrest (for proof, check out her recipe for a burger sandwiched between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts). But morbid obesity and various digestive issues aside, there's something delightfully comforting about southern food, especially a good ol' barbecue.

Earlier this week, my friend Laura invited me to Decatur's Clairmont BBQ and I couldn't wait to try it out. I even wore a brown shirt in case of a spill. So you can imagine my disappointment when we walked up to the door to a scribbled sign that read "CLOSED: No More Meat."

Later that night, I logged on to the Community BBQ website out of curiosity and sure enough, under the hours it reveals that it's open until 8:30 or "whenever the meat runs out." Can't say I wasn't warned.

Dancing Goats Coffee Bar

If I'd consider myself an expert in anything, it would be in scouting out new places to write the endless stream of papers that come along with being a liberal arts major. As a senior, I've exhausted most of my favorite coffee shops and study nooks so I was excited when my friend Sara introduced me to Dancing Goats in Decatur.

Today I'm sharing a big round table with a couple of eclectic graduate students and my coffeehouse radar tells me that this is a perfect haven for people who are interested in getting work done and/or people watching while pretending to get work done. It's a big space filled with little tables, comfy furniture and intelligent looking people. There's also a woman handing out Hershey's Kisses to everyone that walks by--is this weird? or just really nice?

Bonus - I'm convinced that the baristas infuse their coffee with adderall because I've never been this productive in my life. Ever. They also have a huge selection of interesting coffees (brand name Batdorf & Bronson)--and when the most exciting part of your day is choosing what kind of coffee to order, this is pretty crucial.

Reason #64783 Dancing Goats is better than Emory Village Starbucks: Free wireless!

Bluepointe

Although this swanky Buckhead restaurant was the site of an ill-fated first date (and when I say ill- fated, I mean a severe meningitis kind of ill) two years ago, it's still one of my top three restaurants in Atlanta. It's just that good. Honestly, even if Danny DeVito asked me out and offered to take me here, I'd say yes without hesitating.

Every time I've eaten here, I've ordered seafood and sushi. Being a sucker for presentation, I got hooked by the incredible detail the chefs put into arranging the food on the plates--seriously, it's nothing short of artwork. And this is definitely one of those high-end restaurants whose food tastes as good as it looks. Plus the glitzy atmosphere just makes you feel like one of the elite. I'm thinking this should be the location for the next girl's night out!

My only advice--dress to impress. More than likely, you'll be rubbing shoulders with the Buckhead socialites who dominate these types of trendy upscale restaurants. Word on the street is that Usher has been known to drop in...if that's not a good reason to get up and make a reservation for this place, I don't know what is.